Poète Maudit

Few characters have impacted Jewish culture as has the one of King David, and even fewer are as complex, intriguing and full of contradictions as the one of this legendary Judean king. A robber, a lover, a musician and a poet – David is at the same time a saint and a villain, a messianic symbol and a power lusting tyrant. In this class Hebrew author Ruby Namdar will explore the incredibly lush world of the books of Samuel 2 and Kings – as well as the surprisingly fantastic rabbinic literature (Midrash, narrative parts of the Talmud) regarding King David, and some modern Jewish references to his character. We will discover not only the poetic and literary qualities of those classic Jewish texts – but also the subtle element of critique which is hidden within them.

Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble will perform Psalms by avant garde composers of the XX century.

Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble (MCME) was founded in 1990 by Yuri Kasparov, under the patronage of the famous Russian composer Edison Denisov. The ensemble focuses on promoting 20th and 21st century music. It is Russia’s foremost contemporary chamber ensemble and consists of some of the best Russian musicians specializing in modern music. MCME has strong educational goals and works closely with both Russian and international cultural foundations to bring contemporary music to a wide range of audiences. As part of this goal, MCME has organized the International Young Composers Academy (Tchaikovsky City, Ural) to bring together both young composers and internationally recognized composers in workshops. MCME has recorded more than 40 CDs for leading labels, including Olympia (UK), Harmonia Mundi (France), Triton (Japan), Donemus (The Netherlands), Fancymusic (Russia), etc.